Parliament Parliament of India
Supreme Court to expand from 33 to 37 judges, Bill amends 1956 Act
This Bill increases the maximum number of Judges in the Supreme Court of India from thirty-three to thirty-seven (excluding the Chief Justice of India).
It aims to address the rising backlog of cases and allow for the regular constitution of larger Benches to hear cases involving substantial questions of law.
Who it concerns: The Supreme Court of India (specifically the strength of its judicial bench) and the Government of India (regarding the financial expenditure for additional posts, staff, and infrastructure).
What the bill does
- Amends Section 2 of the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956 to substitute the word 'thirty-three' with 'thirty-seven'.
- Repeals the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Ordinance, 2026 (Ord. 1 of 2026).
- Deems actions taken under the repealed Ordinance to be valid under this Act.
- Deemed to have come into force on May 16, 2026.
Also in the document
- The Bill is introduced to replace an existing Ordinance (Ord. 1 of 2026).
- The Statement of Objects and Reasons cites 92,101 pending cases as of January 1, 2026, and a gap between new cases instituted (75,410 in 2025) and cases disposed (65,615 in 2025).
- The Financial Memorandum estimates total expenditure of approximately INR 14,04,17,648 for the creation of four additional posts, including salaries, staff, residences, and security.
Where this bill is now: Introduced
How this was written
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The original document
Parliament of India — Bills (Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha)
Bill / law · Ref. 128 · 20 Jul 2026
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